A lot is happening in the legal profession and legal business landscape. Significant transformation is being driven by technology and automation across the legal field. Growing client expectations are prompting firms to change their business models. Market forces are ushering in the need for hybrid roles in practice areas that blend law with tech (especially artificial intelligence), data, and business. And as always, new and evolving regulations and changing regulatory compliance are spiking demand for more specialties and specialized legal expertise from legal professionals. 

Given the volume of change occurring in the industry, law firms, corporations, legal professionals, and new entrants in the field are scrutinizing the best path forward for their organizations and careers.  

Regardless of whether you’re a hiring organization or job-seeking legal professional on a career path, you’re likely looking at many factors for your future, like new specialized areas of the law, changes in traditional areas of the law, job and employment outlooks, and advancement opportunities and compensation to attract and retain talent.  

• Hiring and job security look very promising across the broad field of legal services. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), about 85,600 job openings are projected each year through 2033, on average, in legal occupations due to employment growth and the need to replace workers who leave their occupations.

• For specialized areas of interest and emerging legal roles, here’s an informative overview of legal industry trends for 2025, offering insights into what’s driving industry change today and beyond – and what’s in store for legal professionals, corporate lawyers, Big Law, specialty law firms, and emerging practice areas in the legal field.

• Compensation is the focus of this article, and specifically, the highest-paying jobs. Just as in any industry, new business models and industry trends require top-tier professionals who are good fits for what the legal industry is becoming. This includes the growing transition to value-based pricing models for law firms, cross-functional skill sets, virtual operations, tech-enabled legal research and workflows, and collaboration with teams that include not only attorneys but also legal engineers, data protection specialists, legal operations managers, and many other niche but vital legal teams and practitioners. 

Insights into the highest-paying jobs from a leading talent recruiting firm  

At Goodwin Recruiting, we recently analyzed legal industry salary ranges to identify the 10 highest-paying legal jobs in the United States today. We’re sharing what we found to help law firms and corporate in-house legal organizations stay or become more attractive to the best legal talent – and to give job-seeking legal professionals a clearer picture of earning potential through high-paying roles.  

The data sets we gathered and analyzed were sourced from our own proprietary information as a longtime, nationwide legal recruitment firm, along with data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and other legal industry sources.  

What to know about the salary ranges 

Numerous factors come into play in determining compensation for legal professionals in the top-paying roles highlighted below.

Please note these distinctions:  

• The salary ranges reflect base annual pay for these legal jobs. They do not reflect compensation beyond base salaries. Also, the salary ranges do not represent average salaries, but rather a broad scope of what law firms and corporations of all types and sizes have been offering professionals across the highest-paying legal jobs.

• Total compensation packages play a significant role in the bigger financial picture. In the legal profession, these can include performance, year-end, and discretionary bonuses, as well as profit sharing and stock options. Billing and origination credits are common for law firm partners, and retainers and contingency fees are common in private practices. Other popular compensation arrangements, particularly for in-house legal departments, include signing and retention bonuses, relocation assistance, car allowances, and other perks. Total compensation packages also include non-monetary compensation like health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, professional development, and other benefits. Again, none of this is reflected in the salary ranges below.  

• Specialization and expertise in many areas of the law command the highest salaries due to their complexity and the growing demand for legal professionals with respective skill sets and experience.

• Years of experience, acquired skills, and negotiating prowess give legal professionals an advantage in demanding higher salaries.   

• Geographic location makes a difference. Cities with bustling concentrations of legal activity – top law firms, regulatory bodies, courts, in-house legal departments – typically offer more opportunities and the highest compensation. Firms in New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and San Francisco pay legal talent more than what is normally earned in smaller metropolitan areas. However, there are no hard and fast boundaries. For example, large organizations with substantial revenue and boutique law firms with big billings can just as easily be based in lower profile cities and states, offering salaries and total compensation that rival firms in the biggest cities for different types of lawyers and other legal practice specialists.  

• Economic factors, such as the state of the economy, economic forecasts, and the legal industry’s overall health can influence salary levels.  

Results of our analysis: The top 10 highest-paying legal jobs    

1. Corporate Counsel / Corporate Lawyers: $170,000 – $275,000+
   
2. Litigation Associate: $150,000 – $260,000+
3. Partner: $140,000 – $220,000+
4. Associate Attorney: $110,000 – $180,00
5. Trust & Estate Planning Attorney: $105,000 – $175,000
   
6. Employment Litigation Associate: $105,000 – $160,000
   
7. Insurance Coverage Attorney: $100,000 – $150,000
8. Family Law Attorney: $95,000 – $140,000
   
9. Paralegal: $80,000 – $130,000
10. Social Work Supervisor: $70,000 – $90,000  

Get more insights and fast-track your next hire or career move    

Whether you’re a law firm or company needing top legal talent, or a legal professional seeking a new job opportunity, connect with Goodwin Recruiting. We are a Forbes Best Recruitment Company and leader in legal talent consulting and recruitment. We work with a nationwide network of law firms, corporate clients, and legal professionals, placing talented people with specific legal expertise and skills in key roles.  

Legal Professionals: Explore legal job opportunities that are available now on our job board. You worked hard in law school to earn your law degree or other degree or certifications, and Goodwin Recruiting is committed to helping you find success on your career path, regardless of your chosen field of law. 

Law Firms, In-House Corporate Law Organizations, and Legal Professionals: Strike a relationship with one of our legal recruitment experts who will listen to your story, internalize your priorities, provide solid guidance, and open doors to the connections you need to fulfill your hiring and career goals:  

• Casey Konger, Senior Recruiting Partner 

• Todd Ringland, Senior Recruiting Partner 

• Nadine Duerr, Senior Recruiting Partner 

• David Fettes, Senior Recruiting Partner 

• Jenn Egnot, Senior Recruiting Partner 

• Arsham Kamali, Senior Recruiting Partner 

Here are a few of the legal positions we fill for our clients across the United States:  

• Corporate Lawyers 

• Mergers and Acquisitions Lawyers 

• Litigation Lawyers 

• Employment Lawyers 

• Intellectual Property Lawyers 

• Patent Lawyers 

• Compliance Lawyers 

• Contract Lawyers 

• Real Estate Lawyers 

• Tax Law Lawyers 

• Paralegals 

• Legal Assistants